Demons in the Architecture
by Charlie42
Summary: Velia Bagshot is a muggle-born, but due to her sharing the last name of author Bathilda Bagshot, she's always passed as a pure-blood. But what happens when a deceased teacher who is oblivious to the tense climate sets an assignment instructing students to explore their partner's family history? And what happens when her partner is the dark wizard Regulus Black? RB/OC plus RL
1. Prologue

**A/N: **_Well hello. I haven't written a fan fiction in years but I've always wanted to write one about Regulus Black so I'm just going to do it. I'm usually all about Sirius but lets face it, Regulus seems a little more complex and we all know he had some redeeming aspects of his personality. But that doesn't mean I'm going to write him as a romantic sop. He's going to be dark. And I know Harry doesn't think Regulus was nearly as handsome as Sirius but I don't really trust Harry's judgment of how much of a babe certain wizards are. I don't know if I judge Harry's judgment of anything. That kid is kind of hopeless._ _This story also features Alice, Frank Longbottom, Remus Lupin, Xenophilius Lovegood probably a touch of James and Sirius every now and again, and maybe Lily can cartwheel through the story somewhere so she doesn't feel left out._

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**Demons in the Architecture**

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**Prologue**

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There were angels carved into the architecture of Hogwarts. Velia Bagshot knew that there were hundreds in the Great Hall alone. They were engraved into goblet stems, imprinted into the enormous stained glass windows, and fixed atop the pillars that held up the enchanted ceiling.

As you travelled further down into the castle the carved angels became all but extinct. Velia stood at the edge of the Deathday Party Hall. The chandelier's eerie blue light picked up the malevolent features of imps, ghouls and demons impressed into the dungeon's walls. Velia shivered as she passed a curious hand over a demon statue. Her finger connected with its sharpened tooth, causing her to wince. She held her hand to her mouth and sucked at where the skin had broken.

Footsteps always sounded loudly in the dungeons, the architecture made sure of that. Velia silently stepped back into the shadow that pooled between the statue and the dungeon's wall. She knew it wouldn't bode well for her to be found by someone so close to the Slytherin common room at this time of the night.

He emerged from the south side stairs first and strode across the hall. As soon as Velia recognized his regal features her heart pounded a little harder. She pushed herself even further into the shadow, hoping that its darkness was complete. She pressed her hand over her mouth when a shaky breath emerged as a visible fog.

Mulciber and Avery marched after him. The speed of his stride seemed to suggest that he was trying to escape them. When he reached the end of the hall he turned to face them, his robes whipping behind him.

"Regulus," Mulciber puffed as he struggled to catch his breath. "An attack on a mudblood will put us in his favour. It'll show him that we're serious about demonstrating his power."

"Someone innocent," Avery contributed, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. "It'll send a stronger message. One of the first years, maybe a girl-"

The chandelier cast its blue light on Regulus's strong features. His domineering stare had stopped Avery midsentence. He cocked his head to the side, his gaze hard but strangely curious.

"You wish to demonstrate _his_ power by attacking the weakest creature you can find?" Mulciber and Avery quavered under his stare, sharing a nervous glance between them.

"Pathetic," he said simply, his gaze shifting to the black candles that floated above them. Velia held her breath, praying he couldn't hear the nervous thud of her heart.

"We'll demonstrate his power," he assured them calmly. "When we do they will be of our age. They will be a worthy witch or wizard. Have some pride in what we do," Regulus scolded. Velia allowed the smallest release of tension. She was happy to banish the thought of some poor first year writhing on the ground under the influence of a dark curse. At least someone older will have more of a chance at defending themselves.

"There will be blood. Lots of it," Regulus added. "That should make our message clearer." The cold blue light danced across his dark smile. Mulciber and Avery grinned appreciatively. Having satisfied his followers, Regulus dropped his leering grin and quickly strode out of their company. Mulciber and Avery shuffled back down the way they came.

Velia forced herself to stay still in the demon's shadow for a few minutes longer. She willed the terror to subside, slowly making her way out of the Deathday Party Hall. Once she reached the main foyer she broke into a run. As she climbed the tight spiral staircase to the Ravenclaw common room, she thought of all the good things that would be waiting for her. The domed ceiling, painted with stars that always twinkled with their own pure light. Alice Fortescue sitting by the fire laughing good-naturedly as Xenophilius terrorized the other Ravenclaws with his most recent outlandish conspiracy.

She stopped briefly as her hand closed around Ravenclaw's bronze knocker. For the first time she noticed a tiny cherub moulded into the base of the bronze, its hands reaching for the knocker. Mirroring it symmetrically, a vicious little demon pulled at its wings.

There were angels in the architecture of Hogwarts, but there were demons too.

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**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything._


	2. Friend Territory

**Friend Territory**

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Velia Bagshot sat in the middle of the quidditch pitch, _Hogwarts: A History_ held loosely in her lap. Alice Fortescue lay next to her, deeply immersed in _Witch Weekly_. Both girls had draped their jumpers over their heads in order to block the sun's glare. Velia was particularly concerned about her pale skin burning. She let her book fall out of her hands. She wasn't actually reading the book; she'd done that too many times before. Nowadays the book served her more as a talisman than actual reading material.

In the last year attacks on muggle-born students had become more and more commonplace. So far Velia had escaped unscathed thanks to the convenient assumption that she was related to the Bagshot wizarding family. It had started as a fairly innocent joke in first year. If anyone was carrying their copy of _Hogwarts: A History_, Alice would tap Bathilda Bagshot's name, point at Velia, and then chuckle to herself when they leapt to their own conclusions. It was a joke then but now it was a necessary lie, a veil for her to hide behind. Velia carried her copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ to fortify the lie that was protecting her.

Velia lifted her gaze skyward to where a dark silhouette looped in front of the sun. She frowned as the figure narrowly avoided a spell shot from his own wand moments before.

"Alice, what on earth is Frank doing?"

"Hmm," Alice replied dreamily. Eventually she wrenched her gaze from the gossip column and turned her round face towards the looping wizard. "I'm not sure," she frowned. "Looks a bit dangerous, doesn't it?" Alice pushed herself onto her elbows, shaking her bobbed brown hair out of her eyes. "Frank, what are you doing?" She yelled between two cupped hands. Frank Longbottom performed a larger loop, stopping his broomstick a few metres above them.

"I'm practicing avoiding spells midflight," he called enthusiastically. "Auror training," he informed them before urging his broom up higher once more.

"That's not a bad idea." Alice smiled sleepily before turning to a story about a witch who managed to fall in love with herself after accidentally ingesting her own love potion.

"Alice," Velia sang as she pulled out a tuft of grass and scattered the pieces absent-mindedly on her friend's back. "Do you think if you'd told Frank you wanted to be a professional ballerina we'd find him suddenly wearing pink tights and practicing pirouettes in the main foyer?"

"What are you suggesting, Velia?" Alice replied, adopting a tone of mock outrage. "That Frank's sudden desire to be an Auror is influenced purely by my own?"

"More or less."

"He is a bit of a softie, isn't he?" She wrinkled her small nose, feigning disgust.

"Practically a marshmallow."

Alice snorted and flipped over a glossy page of her magazine. Velia craned her head, searching the landscape for a distraction. Her friend was in a determinedly inattentive mood, and unfortunately for Velia, she was in the mood for some stimulation.

"What's Xeno doing? He's got a free period too, doesn't he?" Alice's eyes lit up at Velia's question.

"You know how his mother always sends him unnecessarily large quantities of sweets?" She pulled a small wad of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum out of her mouth and stuck it to the back of her copy of _Witch Weekly_. Velia nodded for her to continue.

"Well," she exclaimed excitedly, "he's setting up an illegal sweet shop behind one of the bookcases in the main foyer." Alice's brown eyes twinkled with delight.

"What prompted this? He hasn't suddenly come down with a case of Marauder envy, has he?" Velia knew Xeno to be unafraid of authority, but he never committed a school crime just for the sake of being mischievous.

"No, nothing like that. He just wants to raise funds so he can start making an underground school magazine. He wants to buy his own printing press."

Having finished imparting her own piece of gossip, Alice returned to the gossip now throbbing in a bright font from the pages in front of her. Velia started to imagine Xenophilius running his own makeshift sweets store when she was interrupted by something nudging her head. She lifted a hand and found a burgundy paper airplane tangled in her dark straight hair.

"Speaking of Marauders," she mumbled, unfolding the plane's charmed paper.

"Remus?" Alice quizzed lazily.

"You got it," Velia replied, pushing herself off the ground and slipping her book into her schoolbag. "I'm going to meet him in the library."

"Are you two are still writing essays for galleons? I thought he'd be too busy for it, now he's in seventh year and all."

"Apparently not," Velia shrugged. "I think he just likes to make the extra money so he can keep up with James and Sirius's spending habits."

"Hmm, and what's your excuse?" Alice teased. Velia let her bag swing from her arm and hit Alice on the head, ruffling her short hair. Alice barely reacted to the assault.

"It's not like that anymore. My infatuation with him was purely juvenile and I'm well aware of that. He's made it perfectly clear that we're firmly entrenched in friend territory," Velia said without any trace of bitterness.

Her crush on Remus had waned naturally when she realized he didn't see her in that way, and she didn't feel any embarrassment about it. In fact, she almost felt proud that her younger self was wise enough to have a crush on someone so decent. He was handsome, yes. More importantly he was clever, kind and sensitive to other's emotions. As far as unrequited love went, she could've done a lot worse. Alice peered up at her.

"He's not doing that annoying thing that boys do when they want to deter you from having a crush on them is he? You know where they constantly tell you how good of a friend you are too them? Or that they think of you like a sister?"

"Bingo," Velia said darkly.

"That really is the worst," Alice sympathized while rolling onto her back and holding _Witch Weekly_ above her head so it blocked out the sun.

"Just a tad tedious," Velia amended, pulling her brown leather book bag over her head.

"Well, send my regards. And tell him to give James and Sirius a good kick for what they did to Bertram."

"What did they do to Bertram?" Velia froze midway through buckling her bag.

"Illegal hex. The poor pet is in the hospital wing with an engorged head. They're having trouble deflating it."

"And what exactly did Bertram do to them?" Velia asked sharply.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Who knows. You know what they're like. Maybe he lent Evans a pencil. Maybe Sirius just felt the urge to do something illegal."

Velia exhaled in an attempt to physically rid herself of her mounting frustration.

"Good luck little soldier," Alice said, bringing her magazine to her nose as she attempted to solve the magic eye at the center of it. Velia saluted her friend, sent a general wave towards the area Frank was flying in and headed towards the library.

She found Remus at a table on the outskirts of the restricted section. He was frowning deeply as he studied the parchment in front of him. He tapped his quill against his lips, completely oblivious to the fanged _Monster Book of Monsters_ textbook on the shelf behind him that was desperately trying to chomp at his floppy light brown hair. Velia walked behind him, using the end of her wand to shove the book far into the back of the shelf. She patted Remus's hair down where the book had managed to ruffle it.

"Oh, hello," he said distractedly, not bothering to look up. Velia sighed as she slid into the seat opposite him. Seemed like today was not the day to count on eye contact from any of her friends.

"Binns is getting first years to do essays on the history of Hogwarts again," he told her, his quill darting across the page. "And this year's first years seem particularly allergic to essay writing."

Velia grabbed a roll of parchment and started mechanically writing a history of the school. Velia loved Hogwarts, not unlike many students. But it wasn't just the novelty of the magic that she adored. It was the castle itself, its architecture that she responded too. She was the school's foremost expert on the building, and there were plenty of students willing to part with a galleon or two if it meant one less essay on their pile.

Remus had enlisted her help in his moneymaking scheme back when she was in third year. At first she did it simply as a means of spending time with him. Now she wasn't really sure why she did it. Maybe it was because it made her feel like everything was normal at Hogwarts, like they weren't in fact in the midst of a terrible and violent War. Remus shot Velia a glance when he realized that she wasn't responding to him.

"You're upset about something," he said patiently, dropping his quill. Velia threw her quill down in retaliation.

"What did Bertram ever do to James and Sirius?" Velia demanded, crossing her arms in front of her. Remus began to smile, but quickly reassessed that decision when her annoyance only intensified.

"Nothing that I know of. He was just _there_, really." Velia narrowed her blue eyes.

"That's awful," Velia reprimanded. Remus picked up his quill and fixed his attention back on his parchment. He shot her a furtive glance and sighed when he saw she was still in the same perturbed pose.

"You're only upset because every girl in Ravenclaw has a crush on Bertram Aubrey," Remus ventured boldly.

"Incorrect," Velia retorted. "A girl can have respect for a boy who happens to be handsome and smart without having feelings for them, Remus." Remus scoffed, infuriating Velia further.

"You're handsome and smart, does that mean every girl in Gryffindor has a crush on you?" Remus shuffled uncomfortably but Velia was showing no signs of backing down. "No, I don't think it necessarily does," Velia continued determinedly. "But I'm sure plenty of the Gryffindor girls would be upset if someone attacked you for no good reason. Because you're lovely. And so is Bertram." Remus was fighting the temptation to laugh. He'd never received a compliment in such an angry manner before. Velia scowled.

"I just think if James and Sirius are going to go around hexing people at least they could hex people who actually deserve it. Say, oh, I don't know, Slytherins for example," Velia said heatedly as she fiddled with the corner of Remus's parchment so roughly that it tore away in her hand. Remus pulled the essay out of her reach.

"You're really upset, aren't you? Is this just about Bertram?" He queried, his brow furrowed with concern. Her anger started to cool as she internally tossed up whether she should tell him what she saw two nights ago. She craned her head around to make sure no one was nearby and then reluctantly turned back towards him.

"I overheard some Slytherins talking the other night," Velia said finally, looking down at her fidgeting fingers.

"Where was this?" Remus's voice hardened with suspicion.

"In the dungeons," she replied quietly.

"And you were alone?" Velia nodded, biting her lip.

"_Velia_," Remus beseeched rubbing his face vigorously with his hands.

"I was really careful and I'd just been reading about the carvings in the dungeons and I just wanted to see them," she said quickly.

"You shouldn't be anywhere near the Slytherin common rooms. At night. _Alone_. You shouldn't even walk to class alone anymore. Its too risky these days."

Velia sunk lower in her chair under the weight of Remus's lecture coupled with the terrifying knowledge that it was only about to get worse.

"Who did you overhear?"

"Mulciber." Velia sunk a little lower as Remus shook his head angrily.

"And Avery," she added softly, causing Remus's eyes to bulge.

"And Regulus," she finished in a barely audible voice. Remus gripped the edge of the table, his expression irreversibly dire.

"And what did they say?" Outwardly Remus appeared quite calm but Velia could tell that he was livid.

"They were planning on attacking a muggle-born as a demonstration of you-know-who's power. Mulciber and Avery wanted it to be a first year, a girl they said, but Regulus said no." Remus's eyebrows rose in a sudden expression of hope.

"He said it should be someone around our age instead," Velia finished. Remus pushed his chair back from the table and started pacing back and forth. Velia noticed a trail of carved demons crowning the restricted section's shelf behind him.

"Should I tell a teacher?" She asked after giving Remus a minute to digest what she'd said.

"No," Remus ordered, "we'll deal with it."

"Remus, the four of you can't protect everyone. We have to tell someone."

"Dumbledore's away on 'business,' McGonagall too," he said distractedly.

"Professor Flitwick?" Velia suggested.

"We just don't know who we can trust."

"We can trust Flitwick," Velia said adamantly.

"I know that but you don't understand," Remus implored. "They have ways of finding out. When Diggory reported Crouch for hexing Dora Smith last year somehow they knew it was him, must be some sort of a spell they've concocted to reveal informers, and he ended up getting his tongue spliced."

Velia's own tongue felt dead in her mouth. Remus was right. It was safer for her not to say anything. Students who supported the Dark Lord had launched a successful campaign of violence and scare tactics to make people too afraid to challenge them. Velia hated feeling this helpless.

"You don't want to draw extra attention to yourself, Velia," Remus stopped pacing and looked squarely at her. She nodded glumly in agreement.

"Its not me we have to worry about, I'm related to the great Bathilda Bagshot, remember?" Velia tried to joke weakly, but Remus's resolute frown only made her fear deepen.

"Leave it with me." Remus told her. "I'll figure something out. We shouldn't even be talking about it unless we're somewhere we know is…secure."

Velia looked around the dark library with a sudden chill. She loved the library. She had a hard time accepting it could be anything but secure. Remus took his round watch from his pocket and regarded its slender arms.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class. What have you got?" Remus asked, attempting a lighter tone. He swiped the rolls of parchment into his open book bag.

"History of Magic!" Velia replied with sudden cheeriness. Despite Professor Binns lackluster delivery, it was her favourite class. Her expression soon clouded as she read her timetable. "With Slytherin."

Remus put an arm around Velia as he walked her out of the library. She knew the gesture was meant to be comforting, but it ended up feeling awkward. She could sense Remus worrying that Velia might take the gesture the wrong way.

"You know I just get protective because you're like a little sister to me, right?"

Velia chortled at the irony. If she really was Remus's sister then at least she would be a half-blood and her safety wouldn't have to be as much of a concern for either of them. Velia patted Remus's poor concerned head. "Oh, I know, Remus Lupin," she replied with an air of exasperation.

"Believe me, I _know_."


	3. The Short Straw

**The Short Straw**

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_Be unremarkable. _Remus had instructed her as he walked her to classroom 4F. _As long as you don't do anything to attract their attention they won't ever have a reason to question your status. As long as you go unnoticed everything will be fine._

Velia sat next to Alice, their desks in the middle of the classroom. Alice was slumped back in her chair, pink and dazed from her time spent in the sun. Xenophilus Lovegood burst into the classroom, both his arms laden with an assortment of bags. He claimed the desk in front of the girls, dumping his bags beside him. Velia didn't even blink when one of the bags rolled off the desk, croaked, and started inching towards the doorway. Xenophilius swiveled around in his chair. He pushed his fluffy white blonde hair away from his severely crossed eyes.

"Let me see your timetables," he demanded loudly. The girls obliged wordlessly. Xenophilius held the sheets of parchment right up to his nose. He extracted the lighter he often used to check for invisible ink and waved it across both pages.

"It's a conspiracy," he concluded, tossing the timetables back to them. "We've got almost every class with Slytherin this year."

"Shhhhhhh," Alice warned in a low voice. She pretended to stretch while slyly glancing around to see if any Slytherins were listening. Luckily only one Slytherin had arrived so far. She was sitting in the back corner of the classroom, flicking idly through her textbook.

"Its not a conspiracy, Xeno. Dumbledore did it on purpose," Velia informed him quietly. "Remus said it's a precaution, because we're the house that's least likely to provoke attacks from _them_. Tensions are too high between Gryffindor and Slytherin and a large percentage of the Hufflepuffs in our year happen to be muggle-born."

Xenophilius let out a long jet of air from his pale cheeks. He looked like he was about to say something else but then thought better of it as the sixth year Slytherins entered the classroom. Velia stared vacantly at the graffiti on her desk, concentrating hard on being unremarkable. Xenophilius's bag croaked from the floor, but Xenophilius didn't dare move to pick it up. Regulus Black stepped seamlessly over the crawling bag and kept on walking towards the back of the classroom. Mulciber and Avery followed and, copying Regulus, also stepped around it. Last came Barty Crouch Jr, who to Xenophilius's muffled dismay aimed a hard kick at it the bag, sending it skidding into the wall with a horrible thud. Velia forced herself not to react, not even to exhale as they moved silently pass her desk. Xenophilius slowly turned to the front of the class.

Velia knew without looking that Alice looked the picture of calm right now, but much like with Remus earlier, she sensed that underneath her calm exterior she was livid. There was a time when they all would have reacted, especially Alice. She'd always been particularly gifted at curses, dueling and just general Defense Against the Dark Arts. But things were different now. They weren't just dealing with a slight case of Slytherin bullying. They were dealing with _his _followers and potential teenage murderers. Alice scrawled something on a piece of parchment then slipped it to Velia under her quill tin.

_**Is it just me or did our year draw the short straw when it comes to scumbag dark wizards?**_

Velia nodded in a way that was imperceptible to anyone but Alice. They truly did have the highest concentration of you-know-who's supporters in their year. She shuddered to think what would happen next year when the Marauders weren't around to challenge them. That's if there even was a next year.

"_Incendio_," Velia whispered, pointing the end of her wand at the parchment. The note shriveled in the flame till it no longer it existed. Nowadays even innocent note passing had dangerous implications if your conversation fell into the wrong hands. Velia blew the orange embers away from her desk as Professor Binns glided through the chalkboard.

Velia's attention came in and out of focus for the duration of the lesson, like a radio station that wasn't quite tuned properly. She grasped that it had something to do with the importance of personal history and how a family name can be plotted and traced throughout time if you have the right resources at hand. Try as she might to concentrate, she just couldn't stop staring at Xenophilius's bag. It twitched less and less as the class went on.

"And now for your assignment for this term," Professor Binns said dully. Velia's gaze snapped towards the wispy apparition.

"You'll be utilizing your research skills to accurately plot detailed family histories. You should explore family trees, public records and personal accounts," Professor Binns said in a flat drone as he glided behind his desk.

Velia felt a rising anxiety growing in her chest. Did he mean for them to plot anyone's family history? Someone famous perhaps? Or their own? This did not bode well. It seemed not only passing notes had taken on a dangerous edge this year. Assignments were becoming treacherous territory as well. Her mind was racing. She stopped herself from panicking by assuring herself that with Remus's help she would be able to falsify some documents and fabricate a believable connection to the Bagshot family if they had to do their own.

"You will be divided into pairs and you will plot your _partner's_ family history," Professor Binns continued. Velia felt Alice stiffen beside her. A palpable tension was growing in the room. Perhaps for the first time Professor Binns had everyone of his student's undivided attention. Velia's mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"You will be divided by the order you appear in on the class roll," he prattled on; unaware of the effect his words were having on his students. Velia felt a wave of nausea come over her as she calculated who was near her on the class roll.

"Oh, come on Cuthbert. Can't we just be paired with whoever's sitting next to us?" Alice asked with expert disinterest. She played it perfectly, as if she simply wanted to hurry the tedious process along by making it simpler._  
_

"No Miss Fortescue, I believe this method will do just fine," Professor Binns replied dismissively. Velia's eyes fluttered closed as she mentally steeled herself. It was vital that she appeared unconcerned. She couldn't afford to arouse any suspicion. Alice was sitting close enough to Velia that she was able to grab her hand and gently squeeze it through the folds of their robes.

"Beatrice Addison," Binns began plainly, as if he was reading out something as trivial as a shopping list. Perhaps she was being paranoid but it felt like Professor Binns was purposely leaving a suspenseful pause between each name.

"Is with Lucien Avery." Both students were Slytherins and pure-bloods._ A perfect match, _Velia thought bitterly.

"Velia Bagshot." Her name hung stiffly in the air. She knew what name was coming next, yet when he said it out loud it still made her heart thud at a more frantic pace.

"Will be with Regulus Black."

His name possessed the same gravity as a death sentence. It took all the self-control Velia had not to whimper. She tipped her head forward so that her coal black fringe hid part of her face. A ringing sensation filled Velia's ears, blocking out the rest of Professor Binns's deadly roll call. Her palms instantly felt clammy. She was still looking at Binns but she wasn't able to really hear or see him. The only thing she was aware of was her own deep seeded sense of panic. Velia lost all perception of time passing. She didn't even hear the bell toll that signaled the end of class. Alice had to nudge her into motion. Slowly, she pulled her textbook and quills towards her.

She felt him brush pass her as she grabbed her book bag from the floor with a shaky hand. She tried not to stare as he approached Professor Binns but it was like being unable to tear your eyes away from a train wreck. Together, they scrolled down the class roll. Professor Binns extended an ethereal finger towards Velia. Regulus Black regarded her with cold grey eyes. He was statuesque in his stillness. He must've only held her gaze for a few seconds but to Velia it felt like a lifetime.

So much for going unnoticed.


	4. The Loose Thread

**The Loose Thread**

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**.**

Velia found herself sitting in a shabby armchair in a small room hidden behind one of the bookcases in the main foyer. Crates of sweets were stacked around their feet. The ceiling was hidden under a layer of spider webs so old and dry they resembled spun sugar.

She tried to remember getting to the hidden room. Her memory of it was hazy. Once the class had emptied, Alice had tried to approach Professor Binns but he had already drifted through the classroom's wall. Alice had then linked a supportive arm with Velia's and guided her through the castle's hallways as she whispered words of reassurance. Xenophilius had marched ahead, leading them to a place where he knew that they could talk without being overheard.

She wasn't sure how long they'd been in the secret room for. However long it had been, Alice had spent a good amount of it cussing. Xenophilius grabbed a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, peeled back its wrapper and placed it in Velia's hand. She nibbled around the edge of it. It produced a small surge of warmth in her stomach, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to calm her nerves.

Alice and Xenophilius kept shooting her worried glances. For once, Velia was thankful not to be in the presence of Remus Lupin. Even though there wasn't enough room for him to do it, he'd surely still try to find a way to pace around, his extreme concern only making her more anxious. Velia jumped in surprise when the bookcase swung open. At first all Velia saw was unkempt black hair, domineering grey eyes and a lean body.

_Regulus Black. _Her heart jolted. Surely he hadn't come for her already? But then she saw his warm smile and relaxed demeanour. It wasn't the regal teenager that inspired in her such an immediate brand of terror. It was just his older and much more tolerant brother, Sirius. Remus Lupin appeared behind him brandishing his familiar sense of urgency.

"We heard," Remus said immediately. At the sight of his worried face Velia swallowed an extra large chunk of magic chocolate.

"That was quick," Velia answered conversationally. The other occupants of the room all exchanged wary glances.

"Velia, we've been out of class for almost two hours," Alice informed her gently. Velia shrugged. She found a loose thread on the armchair that she could bestow all her attention on.

"I'm sorry," Sirius Black offered gruffly to Velia, his dark hair falling forward to mask his striking grey eyes.

"Its not your fault," Velia met his gaze but then quickly looked away. He looked far too much like Regulus and at this present moment she found that a tad unnerving.

"How did you know where we were?" Xenophilius questioned the two seventh years suspiciously. He looked slightly perturbed that his secret room wasn't as secret as he thought it was.

"We know everything," Sirius answered simply, placing his hands in his pockets. It was honesty and not arrogance that shaped his response.

"This shouldn't have happened. If Dumbledore was here… It just shouldn't have happened," Remus shook his head in exasperation. His abundant concern made him restless. Remus had so much frantic energy that if he were a wind up toy and sent off in one direction, it would take days and days before he finally wound down to a standstill. The image made Velia laugh to herself, which made everyone else in the room once again regard her with deep concern.

"We think she's in shock," Alice said quietly.

"I'm not in shock."

"Why aren't you more worried?" Remus demanded.

"Because there's nothing I can _do_." Velia pulled the loose thread so that it came away in her hand with a satisfying snap. She felt herself shifting out of her daze as a helpless frustration started to needle her skin.

"Maybe you shouldn't be at Hogwarts this year," Remus said finally. He crossed his thin arms in front of his chest. In another world, Velia might have found it upsetting that the only boy she'd ever had feelings for had ordered her to be unremarkable and then told her to 'go home' in the space of a few hours. But the world they lived in now didn't afford for such petty luxuries.

"Hogwarts is mine as much as anyone else's. Its just not fair," Velia said, now with a desperate edge to her voice. She wound the loose thread tightly around her finger.

"Nothing's fair anymore." Sirius moved over to the room's small window and lent against its ledge. He stared out into the general darkness beyond the pane of glass.

"It is suspicious though, isn't it? All this tension about lineage and then Binns sets an assignment making everyone plot out each other's family history?" Xenophilius sat behind his desk, anxiously fiddling with his treasured symbol necklace.

"Oh please, Xeno. This isn't the time for conspiracy theories," Alice said dismissively.

"I don't think there's anything sinister behind it," Remus said a little more kindly. "I think Binns has set the same lesson plans since before he died. We had to do the same assignment last year but things weren't as tense as they are now. I don't think Binns understands the implications of it."

Professor Binns had never show any sign of being aware of what was happening in the present day. Velia got the feeling that he was like that even when he was alive, caring only about the actions and impulses of wizards who were long dead. A beam of moonlight angled through the glass and hit the lid of something silver in Sirius's pocket. Recognition dawned on Velia. She looked up at Sirius and pointed at the flask.

"Can I?"

He looked momentarily confused before following her line of sight. He pulled the flask out and threw it to her in one fluid movement. She tossed aside her bar of chocolate, flicked back the lid and took a deep sip of the amber liquid.

"We should be trying to keep a clear head—" Remus's lecture fell on deaf ears as Velia handed the flask to Alice who took a supportive swig. Xenophilius followed in suit before holding the flask out to Remus. Resignation pulled his posture down. He took the longest sip of them all before returning the flask to Sirius.

"We could alter some of the history books in the library," Sirius said, still staring out of the window.

"Its difficult magic," Remus countered, loosening the collar of his shirt with his finger.

"We could do it," Sirius shrugged, turning to look at his friend.

"Hopefully Dumbledore will be back before this thing goes too far and puts a stop too it," someone said, but by this point Velia had stopped listening. The firewhisky had spread a pleasing warmth through her body that the chocolate couldn't quite manage. Now that her nerves were slightly placated she felt herself overwhelmed by a physical and mental exhaustion. Sleep. That's what she needed. Sleep would bring the solution to her predicament. Velia drew herself out of the mouldy armchair, pushed past Remus and slipped out the bookcase door.

"_Not safe to walk alone," _someone called behind her, but she kept on walking quickly through the castle's cold passages. She registered the slight patter of footsteps following her. She was grateful for her friends' concern, but at this point she needed silence and a warm bed to stop her head from spinning.

When she reached her bed, a dark feathered owl was sitting patiently on her blue silk blanket. The glow from its red eyes pulsed through the darkness. Velia carefully removed the envelope tied to its leg. Her heart leapt into her throat as her fingers cracked the wax seal that was imprinted with a regal _**B**._ The letter's content was curt and formal.

_**I believe we both have a free period tomorrow afternoon. **__**We should meet at the library to discuss our assignment.**_

_**Regulus Arcturus Black **_

Velia sank onto her thick mattress. It seemed Regulus had already started his enquiry into her, seeing as he had found out what her timetable entailed. She stared longingly at her pillow. Somehow she didn't think sleep was going to come that easily to her after all.


	5. The Darkness That Surrounded Them

**The Darkness That Surrounded Them**

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**.**

He was already seated by the time she got there. She peered at him over a row of books, carefully concealing herself behind a bookcase. His posture was perfectly straight as his quill looped across the parchment in front of him. Velia shuddered to think that he might have already started their assignment. If she had any chance of fooling him, she had to get the books cradled in her arms to him _now_.

She placed her hand on the bookcase and then gave a small push, launching herself in his direction. Regulus regarded her coolly as she slid into the chair opposite him. _You've got to act confident. _She told herself. _You've got to act like a pure-blood._

"Sorry I'm late," she said nonchalantly, placing her pile of books on the desk in front of her. She noticed with a quick glance that the parchment he was writing on contained what looked like a personal letter, and thankfully not any eager notes for his investigation into the Bagshot family.

Regulus tilted his head in a dismissive nod. His black hair fell forward, framing his inquisitive gaze. He rolled up his letter and dropped it into his book bag before returning his attention to her. Velia noted that his eyes were a much darker grey than his brother's. They were less vibrant, less reflective than Sirius's and somehow, all the more arresting.

He continued to stare at her unabashedly, without saying a word. Velia felt surprisingly calm. She reasoned that it must've been the remnants of the Sleeping Draught she had taken the night before that was still present in her system. It made her sluggish and close to feeling confident in his intimidating presence.

After Velia had received the fateful letter, she had passed it on to Alice with a shaky hand. Alice's immediate response was to put Velia to bed with a Sleeping Draught she had saved from when she was battling a nasty virus. Then, Alice had notified Remus about what had happened.

With the help of James, Sirius, Peter and Xenophilius, they had worked tirelessly through the night to produce a pile of fake documents and altered books that linked Velia to the Bagshot wizarding family. Velia's only chance was to offer the books to Regulus so that he wouldn't feel inclined to do his own potentially damning research.

"I thought you might like to use these. They're from my own collection," Velia said, nudging the pile of books forward. She sat back in her chair to project an air of casualness.

Regulus lifted a thumb and sharply flicked back the cover of the first book. His cold eyes raked over the first few pages with painstaking attention. Velia's heart thudded in her chest. He was a perceptive wizard and incredibly bright. Would he be able to see through the charm that morphed the words on the pages before him?

"The Bagshot family are a very old wizarding family," Regulus said finally. The timbre of his voice was soft yet deep. His intense gaze flicked back up towards her.

"Very," Velia agreed. She had spent most of her morning groggily trying to memorize every person in it. Her friends had swarmed her at the Ravenclaw table, slyly coaching her on the most immediate and most prominent members of the Bagshot family. She had felt completely coddled. Alice went so far as to braid her straight black hair, Xeno kept piling her plate with more sausages while Remus refilled her glass of pumpkin juice over and over again.

"You seem…proud," Regulus said, gesturing towards her pile of books.

"There are many great wizards and witches in the Bagshot family," Velia said, not untruthfully. He continued to appraise her, eventually giving a small approving nod.

"You've heard of the Black family," Regulus stated, lifting his chin haughtily. The amber light from the table's candle flickered across his high cheekbones.

"Of course." Velia gave him a small smile. Sirius had warned her of the high esteem he held their family in. _Use it to flatter to him, _Remus had suggested.

"My family is familiar with many of the other pure-blood families…" Regulus's thumb and forefinger tugged at his bottom lip in a pensive motion. Velia's heart skipped a beat. Did he already know about her muggle-born status? Was he simply using this opportunity to play with her, to watch her squirm? She didn't know if she was being paranoid or not but she couldn't help but wonder if he already knew her secret by the way he watched her so closely.

"But I must admit we are not close to the Bagshots," he said.

"They—we've always been rather reclusive," Velia said offhandedly.

"And intelligent, from what I've heard. Fond of Ravenclaw," Regulus continued. Velia nodded dully.

_From what I've heard._ Was this an indication that he'd already started asking around about her supposed family? All he had to do was ask one person that knew the Bagshot family personally and Velia was done for. She searched the library's dusty darkness for a sign of Remus. She knew he was here watching somewhere, she could feel his protective scrutiny of their conversation, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out where he had positioned himself.

"I don't detest Ravenclaw," Regulus mused. "It's the only tolerable house, despite Slytherin of course." Velia nodded again, but her eyes kept searching the darkness that surrounded them. In the back of her mind she had the dim thought that she should be more attentative to Regulus's conversation, that her life potentially depended on it. But Velia felt herself growing dangerously bored, and she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it. Sensing a lack of interest in their exchange, Regulus shut the book in front of him. He slid the pile of books back towards her with a sharp movement.

"I know everything there is to know about the Black lineage," Regulus said proudly. "You clearly are well versed in your own family's," he gestured to her tampered with books once more. "Lets make this easier for ourselves. You complete the work on the Bagshots, and I'll do the same with my own family. I don't have the time for unnecessary assignments."

Velia nodded fervently as he stood up to leave. She couldn't believe her luck. This was the best possible outcome for this whole hazardous scenario. She felt a buoyant sense of relief passing through her body. A giddy smile spread across her face. Regulus gave her one last perplexed look before striding quickly from the library, his cloak flowing behind him. Velia started to giggle, the sound carrying obtrusively in the library's thick silence. She wasn't even startled when Remus and James appeared beside her, as if out of thin air.

"_That," _Velia said confidently, "was a piece of cauldron cake." James chortled as Velia drew both boys in for a rambunctious hug, her enthusiasm knocking James's glasses askew.

"Don't think you might've been a bit overzealous with the liquid luck, do you old sport?" James whispered to Remus as he straightened his round glasses. Remus bit his lip as he watched Velia grow more light-headed. She scratched her nose with a sloppy finger.

"What are you two talking about?" She whispered theatrically.

"We took the added precaution of stealing some Felix Felicis from Slughorn's supplies last night," James told her. "Remus spiked your pumpkin juice with it this morning."

"Oh, what fun!" Velia said, putting her hands jauntily on her hips.

"It was the tiniest dose. I didn't want you being suspiciously giddy," Remus said, regarding her with a wary expression. Velia grinned and pinched Remus's cheek appreciatively.

"But it didn't seem to have much effect by lunch time so I slipped you a bit more. I don't know why it had such a delayed effect," Remus scratched the back of his head as he pondered the conundrum.

"Probably the influence of the Sleeping Draught from last night," Velia tapped her nose knowingly. She suddenly felt particularly knowledgeable about the effects of potions. Velia spun around on her heel, walked a few paces and bent down. When she straightened, a galleon glinted enticingly in her hand.

"Huh. Look at that. Reckon Regulus dropped it when he swooped dramatically out of here?" Velia said loudly. Remus put a silencing finger in to his lips. James barely stifled a snort.

"Come on boys. Lets go spend this at the Three Broomsticks. I've got a good feeling we can find a way to sneak out without getting caught." Velia marched out of the library. James followed, chuckling softly. Remus came last, still looking concerned, but generally enjoying a great sense of relief. After all the stress they went through the night before, with the help of Felix Felicis, today was going to be a very good day.

.

.

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**A/N****: **_**Hello anyone! So just thought I'd mention that on Harry Potter Wiki it says that '****Felix Felicis also seem to culminate the magical power of the one who imbibed it.' So seeing as Slughorn made it Velia was suddenly very knowledgeable about potions, and she knew that Felix Felicis had a delayed effect because of the Sleeping Draught that was still in her system. That bit I just made up though. I wanted some of her conversation with Regulus to be intimidating but then when the Felix Felicis started kicking in I wanted her to be confident and a bit disinterested, because that's how a pure-blood might act and also I think that behaviour would get Regulus's attention, since he thinks he's the bees knees. Anyhoo. Toodeloo. **_


	6. Potential Prey

**A/N:** _Hello there. Thank you for the reviews, very much appreciated. So everyone knows Regulus is also the name of a star, right? Okay good. I'm sorry if my Astronomy knowledge is terrible. _

_._

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**Potential Prey**

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Xenophilius floated next to the ceiling of the Ravenclaw common room. Every time his head bobbed against the enchanted ceiling, Xenophilius melted into a fit of giggles.

"I don't know how to get down," Xenophilius said merrily as he dived into a somersault. Below him, Alice and Velia lay on a couch each, chuckling at their buoyant friend. After the stress of the last few days, the Ravenclaw trio were overjoyed at the chance to unwind by the fire, swamped by blue and bronze silk embroidered pillows.

"Are you sure you don't want to try it?" Xenophilius said, his body framed by the painted stars that dotted the ceiling. To celebrate their victory against Regulus Black, Xenophilius had revealed to his friends an underhand purchase he had recently made in the lower levels of Hogwarts.

A fifth year student by the name of Mundungus Fletcher sold contraband items out of a disused bathroom in the dungeons. Somehow he'd gotten his grubby little hands on a live Billywig, a magical Australian insect whose sting caused giddiness followed by levitation.

"I'm alright Xeno," Velia said, her chin digging into a cushion, "I think I've ingested enough magical substances for one day." After an eventful day under the influence of Felix Felicis, not to mention a Sleeping Draught the night before, Velia felt exhausted.

"Oh, go on then," Alice said, reaching for the box that contained the sapphire blue insect. She quickly opened the box then held her hand flat over it, waiting for the insect to nip her skin. Velia turned her head as Bertram Aubrey came through the door looking overwhelmed, his telescope and countless rolls of parchment bunched under his arms.

"Alright guys?" He said to Alice and Velia, not even noticing Xenophilius hovering above them. Alice ruptured into peals of laughter. It seemed the Billywig had stung its newest victim. Suddenly Alice's body launched into the air as if guided there by invisible strings. She collided with Xenophilius, narrowly avoiding the flames from the candle filled chandelier.

"Do I want to know about this?" Bertram asked Velia warily.

"Probably not," Velia said, scrunching up her nose.

"We've had a rough couple of days," Alice explained from the ceiling, tears of laughter streaming down her face.

"Right." Bertram sighed. Bertram was a Ravenclaw prefect, and a dedicated one at that, but he was also very forgiving and known to turn a blind eye every now and again.

"I didn't see a thing," Bertram said, waving them goodnight. As he headed towards the boys' dormitory, Velia's gaze latched onto his telescope.  
She jolted upright.

"Bugger," Velia swore. "Bugger, bugger, bugger."

"Billywig, Billywig, Billywig!" Xenophilius replied, triggering another laughing spell from Alice.

"Have you guys done the Astronomy assignment?" Velia asked her levitating friends.

"The one that's due tomorrow?" Alice said. Velia nodded glumly.

"We did it last week. We asked if you wanted to come but you said you wanted to explore the dungeons instead," Alice told her. She grabbed Xenophilius's ankle and tried to spin him around in a circle.

"I completely forgot about it," Velia groaned, resting her head back on the couch. "Can I copy off one of you guys?"

"Sadly no. We got assigned different stars remember?" Xenophilius said kicking Alice off and then swirling his legs around as if he was pedaling. Velia's face fell into total despair. Alice had her mouth clamped tightly shut in a bid to stop herself from laughing, but it only made the sound escape from her nose in an offensive snort instead. Velia glared at her.

"Sorry little duck, I know it's not funny. Do you want us to come with you?" Alice asked distractedly, making another grab for Xenophilius's ankle as he pedaled through the air past her.

"No, don't worry about it," Velia said, failing to keep the grumpiness out of her voice.

"We're not really in the right state for it," Xenophilius said apologetically while dangling upside down.

The fact that they were a pair of giggling gerties was one thing, but even if they somehow managed to float up to the Astronomy Tower, once they hit open air Velia was likely never to see her friends again. They'd end up being distant little specks in the same atmosphere she was supposed to be studying.

Velia reluctantly ran upstairs and grabbed her standard issue telescope. By the time she got to the top of the Astronomy Tower, she was cold and disgruntled. Inconvenient as this was Velia had to admit, she far preferred being disgruntled about doing an assignment than being concerned with whether a dark wizard saw her as potential prey.

Velia stepped out into the biting cold and froze mid step. He stood alone, bent over an expensive looking telescope. Moonlight lit his sober features. He looked otherworldly in the strange white-blue glow. Velia stood transfixed.

_Step back_, she urged her unmoving feet. _Step back into the safety of the dark stairwell and run. _

She barely made a sound but Regulus's senses were well attuned. He felt her presence instantly. He straightened, twisting around to face her. He didn't say anything, just held her gaze with the same unwavering focus he had showed her in the library. A forgotten nightmare she had had the night before came rushing back to her. It was of his face as she saw it now, washed in cold light and hinting at a darkness that didn't feel human.

"Sorry," she mumbled, breaking their eye contact. She turned quickly to leave, banging her telescope on the tower door's stone frame.

"Wait," he demanded sharply. Velia turned, tightly clutching the strap of her book bag.

"I've nearly finished. You may set up," he said.

She suspected he meant to sound cordial, but all she heard was an order that she had no choice but to obey. She dragged her feet over to the parapet and set up her telescope as far away from him as she could.

She tried looking through the eyepiece but all she saw was a film of grey fogging the lens. She wiped her hand across the plate of glass to try and clean it. Velia gasped in surprise when her finger began to sting. She pulled it back and found blood pulsing from a deep gash. She inspected the lens and found that the glass had cracked from when she banged it.

Velia fumbled in her book bag till she found a tissue. She wound it tightly around her finger, grimacing through the pain. Velia didn't want to attract any attention to herself. She decided to just pretend to do the assignment for a minute and then get out of there.

"What star did you get?" His question cut through the cold night air. Velia stopped writing random figures on her now blood spotted roll of parchment.

"Uh," Velia stalled, realizing she hadn't even checked yet. She dived into her book bag with her unmarred hand and pulled out a square piece of parchment. She read the paper and felt her face immediately grow hot. She knew there wasn't a drop of Felix Felicis left in her system, because this was just plain unlucky.

"Regulus," she said softly. She tried not to meet his eyes but she couldn't help it. His lips twitched just a fraction with hardened amusement. She turned back to her broken telescope and continued the mime of looking through its broken lens.

The situation was turning out to be torturous. It was painfully cold, Velia's finger was throbbing with the loss of blood, and she was once again saddled with the burden of pretending to be a pure-blood.

Velia inhaled deeply, fantasizing about laughing with her friends, safe and warm in the Ravenclaw common room. If only she had some Felix Felicis. She'd do anything to feel that unyielding confidence once again. A dark shadow overwhelmed Velia. She felt as if she could physically feel its weight on her back. She looked up and found Regulus standing above her.

"May I?" He said, gesturing towards her parchment. Grudgingly, Velia handed it to him, tucking her finger under her sleeve so he couldn't see it. He frowned as his eyes danced across the chart.

"This is all wrong," he criticized sharply. He stooped down to look through her telescope. He pulled back, his face contorted with an understated confusion.

"It's broken," he said, the moon's ethereal glow coating his frame. Velia nodded.

"Come," he directed, cocking his head towards his telescope. She followed him, taking the chance to silently wince in pain while his back was turned. Without even checking the textbook he swung his telescope around, and with a few deft movements adjusted its settings.

"There," he said with a touch of arrogance, motioning for her to look through the telescope. " It's in the Leo constellation." Velia put her hand around the polished black tube. She bent down self-consciously and peered at the brilliantly intense orb.

"It's one of the brightest stars," he said, and Velia couldn't help smiling to herself. It was vaguely amusing how proud he was, as if sharing the star's name made him somehow responsible for its existence.

"How appropriate," she quipped, and immediately wanted to kick herself. She was referring to the correlation between the star being bright and Regulus being one of the brightest students in the school. What did she think she was doing, trying to banter with a dangerous wizard? It must've been the blood loss that inspired that folly. She could feel him watching her but she chose to fix her gaze on the stars instead.

"You know it's a multiple star system, don't you?" His moderated voice was like smoke coiling through the air. It was smooth and appealing, yet it held a menace in its toxicity.

"Sure," Velia said awkwardly. Velia was good at Astronomy. She excelled at the kind of subjects that required a certain amount of patience and research. Being a competitive Ravenclaw, she was well aware that Regulus had received the top marks in Astronomy every single year. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that the wizard had something of a passion for the subject.

"If I were you, I'd mention the white dwarf star," Regulus suggested.

"Dwarf star?" Velia repeated, a puff of cold air escaping her lips.

"It's fainter than Regulus A and it's not visible," Regulus said, staring up at the luminous star. "Not even through the telescope. But it's there. It's its companion."

"Companion," Velia uttered, feeling woozy. As he read down the piece of parchment, Regulus noticed drops of spilt blood. He raked his eyes over Velia, his mind speedily calculating what he observed. He saw how she awkwardly tucked her hand into her sleeve and how fresh drops of blood marked the stone beneath her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it into the illuminating effect of the moonlight.

"You're bleeding," he said coolly as the now dark red tissue fell from her finger and floated to the floor. His eyes were fixed steadily on the beads of blood still slipping from her finger. Velia's heart thudded in time with her throbbing finger. Did her blood look any different from a pure-blood's?

"The broken lens," she said, waiting for him to release her hand, but he merely drew it towards himself for a closer look.

"Your blood is dirty," he told her, tilting his head to the side. Velia cringed violently. This was it. Despite all her friends' efforts Regulus must have found out about her muggle heritage and he was confronting her about it now, while she was alone, bleeding and vulnerable at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"It looks like dust," he said, and Velia felt her body bow with relief.

"The lens was dusty," she agreed. "I'd better go see Madame Pomfrey now."

"Not so fast," he said, still holding her wrist with a firm grip. With his other hand he dug into his pocket, pulling out a small vial of purple liquid. He flipped the lid with his thumb and tilted the mouth, so only a small droplet fell onto her wound. Velia cried out as the gash smoked then stung, but didn't heal.

"It cleans the wound," he told her as she yanked her hand out of his grip.

"And you just happen to carry that around with you?" Velia said, her voice stressed and taut.

"It comes in handy," he replied pointedly. Velia could take a wild stab at what it would come in handy for. Only a wizard who sought to cause wounds to others would prepare himself for the likeliness of receiving wounds himself.

"I can heal it," he said in a flat tone as Velia rushed around gathering up her things.

"Thank you, but that's fine," she said, leaving him at the top of the tower, standing tall in the pale moonlight. Velia ran down the spiral staircase and came hurtling out of the base of the Astronomy Tower. She ran straight into James Potter, his girlfriend Lily Evans holding his hand behind him.

Velia guessed they were on Head Boy and Girl duty and realized with a mental groan that she was out of bed after curfew. James was known to be a more lax authority figure than even Bertram Aubrey, but he was also known to suddenly become far stricter when his girlfriend was in the vicinity.

"I wasn't doing anything untoward, I swear. With everything that's been happening the last few days I forgot about an Astronomy assignment-"

"Velia, it's fine," James said kindly.

"You're bleeding," Lily said her voice thick with concern. Velia noticed how different it sounded when she said it, how warm it was compared to Regulus's detached observation.

"My lens broke and I cut my finger on it," Velia said, holding up her battered telescope. "I was just on my way to the Hospital Wing."

Regulus stepped out of the Astronomy Tower behind her. His gaze skipped over James and Lily, ignoring their existence as well as their ability to get him into trouble. Lily made a move to go after him as he sauntered down a rickety flight of stairs, but James motioned for her to let him go.

"Velia, what-" James started to ask her, but she waved him off and hurried away towards the Hospital Wing. She knew it must've seemed suspicious. Velia had emerged from the Astronomy Tower, startled and sprouting blood and then Regulus appearing moments later. But at that moment she didn't have the strength to dissuade their suspicions, all she wanted was for the blood to stop flowing.

"The wound is terribly clean," Madame Pomfrey said in surprise as she inspected the cut minutes later. Velia nodded distractedly. She was trying to avoid thinking about how strange it had been that Regulus had helped her. She closed her eyes as Madame Pomfrey magically made her skin reconnect.

Behind her eyelids she saw the lingering image of the stars in the night sky. One burnt particularly bright against the backdrop of eerie black. Velia imagined a fainter mass keeping the bright star company, spinning dutifully in the eternal night as its celestial companion.


	7. Dark Words and Doom

**A/N: _Thank you Ceccie, Matthew, Margaret Black, Kittyhawk09, mysterious guest and Cassie C for taking the time to read and review. I find Regulus very intriguing, even though we don't know that much about him. What we do know is that he turns out to be rather heroic. And he loves Kreacher. Adorable._**

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**Dark Words and Doom**

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"Do you ever feel an impending sense doom?" Velia asked Alice. Her friend was busy fogging up their crystal ball with her breath so she could write her initials in it.

"I do in this class, that's for sure," Alice grumbled, looking terminally bored. Velia smiled.

"Double Divinations on a Tuesday," Alice continued. "Should be renamed Doomsday. How come, Bagshot?"

"I don't know," Velia answered, glancing around the gloomy classroom. "It just feels like bad things are happening and there's nothing we can do to stop it." With the pad of her thumb, Velia caressed the section of flesh where her gash had been.

"Yes, but you know all this Wizard War stuff is going to sort itself out," Alice said, a positive pep infecting her voice. "I'm going to become an Auror, so is Frank, we're going to save the Wizarding World (maybe a few muggles while we're at it) and then everything is going to be hunky dory."

"That easy huh?"

"Piece of cauldron cake," Alice confirmed, her bobbed hair swinging forward so that it tickled her nose. Velia smiled weakly. She slumped onto the table, resting her arms and chin in front of her. A prolonged yawn pushed her mouth open as she gazed into the quartz crystal globe.

Velia wanted to believe Alice but she couldn't shake the niggling feeling of foreboding that had taken seed in the pit of her stomach. Sometimes when she closed her eyes, she imagined she could hear a faint rushing noise in her ears, the kind of noise you hear when something is hurtling at a great speed towards a certain destination.

Velia lifted her head when she saw a pinprick of light pulsing from the center of her and Alice's crystal ball. The light grew larger and larger, dispelling the white fog that swirled around it.

At the table next to them, Xenophilius was polishing his crystal ball with his robes. The ball slipped from his grip making a loud noise as it connected with the floor. Velia jumped at the sudden clamour. When she looked back at her own ball, the light was gone.

"Did you see that?" Velia asked Alice while eyeing the crystal ball suspiciously.

"See what?" Alice said, concentrating solely on trying to balance her wand in the palm of her hand.

"Never mind," Velia shook her head roughly and then rubbed her eyes with two balled fists. "I think it was just a reflection," she added, noticing how Xenophilius's necklace reflected a dim light onto their ball as he approached them.

"Right," he said excitedly, his arms cringing under the weight of his hefty copy of _The Dream Oracle_. "Tell, me your dreams," Xenophilius requested in a spooky tone. "I want to practice. Velia, you first." Velia stared blankly at Xenophilius. She was feeling completely unresponsive to his enthusiasm.

"Don't be shy!" He urged.

Velia sighed. "I dreamt about stars," she said finally, skating her fingers over the crystal ball.

"I see," Xenophilius said with exaggerated understanding. He flicked wildly through the book's pages. Velia leant forward and turned the textbook around in his arms so that it was upright.

"Ah, yes. Much better," Xenophilius cleared his throat. "Dreaming about stars _could_ indicate that you're being protected and watched over by dead ancestors, spirits or celestial angels."

"Jolly good Vel! Well done," Alice said encouragingly. Xenophilius frowned as he looked at the book, turning it around and around at odd angles.

"Or, it could mean you're being stalked by malevolent forces. Maybe a band of demons," Xenophilius said excitedly. "It depends what formation the stars were in," Xenophilius finished, looking completely bewildered. Alice let out a low whistle.

"I'd go with the first option, if I were you," Alice suggested. Velia snapped her own textbook shut.

"_Or, _it could mean that I was thinking about the Astronomy assignment due today that I still haven't completed," Velia pointed out reasonably.

"Oh," Xenophilius uttered, looking completely crestfallen. "Well that's not nearly as dramatic."

"It is more fun when it's dramatic," Alice argued in Xenophilius's defense. Velia flicked the crystal ball grumpily. It rang in perfect time with the echoing class bell. The students filed quickly out of the Divinations classroom, happy to get some fresh air intro their lungs.

A plump second year approached Xenophilius and pulled him aside. Xenophilius waved goodbye to his friends as he leant down to allow the second year to whisper in his ear. Velia warranted a guess that the boy had a penchant for sweets and was looking for a good deal on a large load. It seemed Xenophilius's illegal sweet trade was already booming.

"You're being summoned again," Alice noted as one of Remus's burgundy paper airplanes zoomed into Velia's hand.

"Maybe he just misses my company," Velia said hopefully, sidestepping a group of first years playing Gobstones in the middle of the corridor. Alice didn't look convinced.

"I'm going to get a lecture, aren't I?" Velia amended. Alice gave her a regretful nod.

"You don't need to have the Sight to see that one coming. Good luck soldier," Alice waved farewell. Velia saluted her friend before leaping onto a set of moving stairs she knew from memory favoured a route to the library.

When she found Remus he was waiting at the isolated desk by the outskirts of the restricted section, his hands clasped in his lap. The dim light of the library often had a softening effect, but today it failed to conceal how tired and worn Remus looked.

"Hello Remus, nice day isn't it?" Velia said in a half-hearted attempt to engage him in a normal conversation. He was trying to appear calm, but she saw that irritable energy of his leaking out through his furiously twiddling thumbs.

"Let me see your hand," he said quietly.

"It's not what you think," she told him quickly. "I broke my telescope and cut my finger on it, that's all- "

"James said you looked terrified. And what were you doing with _him_ alone at the top of the Astronomy Tower after curfew?"

"I forgot about an Astronomy assignment due today, I had to finish it. He was already up there."

Remus lay his hand across the table. Velia obediently lay her hand in his. Remus passed a finger over where the wound had been. It tingled, but it didn't sting.

"You know I'd tell you if he threatened me," Velia said meekly.

"You can't know that," Remus shook his head, his tone taking on a gentler edge. "They're particularly skilled in the art of intimidation."

"Well, my secret is still safe, so there's nothing to worry about. It was just an unfortunate accident."

"That's what I _am_ worried about. Your fortune seems to be nothing but ill lately."

Velia dropped her head onto the desk with a thud. Today was indeed doomsday. If one more person mentioned ill fortune, doom, or malevolent forces she was going to become a hermit. After a minute of pressing her forehead into the cool wood, she lifted her head.

She studied Remus's patient posture and noticed that the buttons on his shirt were done up the wrong way. She had the impulse then to reach forward and fix him up, but she stifled it. She knew that whenever she initiated any contact with him, even in the most plutonic way, he would become skittish, making an excuse to scamper from her company.

"Did he say anything to you?" Remus asked.

"He just helped me with my assignment a little bit," She shrugged, trying to pretend as if this was a completely normal occurrence.

Velia could see how risky the situation had been. Regulus had helped her with an Astronomy assignment. If he had decided to help with a certain other assignment, the assignment he himself was supposed to be doing, her secret could be exposed and then real danger could ensue. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to squash a headache between his finger and thumb.

"So it seems he doesn't abhor you. He holds great respect for old pure-blood families, especially well known ones. Thinking you're a Bagshot might mean he see you as something of a peer."

"He also said he doesn't mind Ravenclaw," Velia said thoughtfully. Remus winced.

"Velia, I can't stress how important it is that you don't encourage any kind of acquaintance with Regulus. Sirius says he's very inquisitive by nature. You can't afford for him to become inquisitive about you."

He stared at her, his forehead ruffled with concern. Sometimes Velia wished she had a magical iron that could gently smooth the creases of worry from his face. Remus lifted his hand to scratch his nose. The sleeve of his robe fell, pooling around his elbow. Velia spied a nasty gash just starting to heal on his exposed arm.

"What happened?" She cried, echoing his gesture earlier by putting her hand out in request of his.

"Oh, just got too close to a Spiky Prickly Plant in Herbology," Remus said as if it was the smallest of injuries. He reluctantly gave her his hand. Velia barely grazed the skin under his wound, but Remus flinched in obvious pain.

"Why didn't you get Madame Pomfrey to heal it?" Velia asked.

"Just haven't had the time," he said flippantly. Remus took his hand out of hers and pushed his sleeve far down to cover his arm. He made a show of checking his pocket watch. Velia could feel his skittish energy taking hold.

"But it will scar," Velia persevered, her royal blue eyes emoting deep concern.

"No matter," he replied. Velia's pale lips pulled down in a small frown. One thing that had always simultaneously intrigued and maddened her about Remus was how much he cared about other people but refused to take proper care of himself.

"You know there's a good potion you can use to clean the wound," Velia informed him as he hastily gathered up his things to leave. Remus smiled.

"I am well aware of it. I've got a supply of it myself," he said.

"Seems like everyone does these days," Velia muttered under her breath.

"Well, I best be heading off. Got a Transfiguration test to study for," Remus said before waving goodbye. He left Velia sitting alone without waiting for a farewell in return. She knew she could've dissected his poor excuse by pointing out that he had already been in a room designed for studying but she didn't have the energy for it. She got up and headed for the library's exit.

Whether it was fortune, fate or the guidance of demons and angels, Velia found herself wandering through the Astronomy section on her way out of the library. Her gaze skipped across the fraying spines of the books housed there. One book on star constellations stood out in particular. She used both hands to pull it out from its place wedged between its neighbours.

The book was bound in dyed leather the colour of the night sky. A scroll spilled out from the book's center, unrolling down the length of the aisle. The magic ink on the parchment began to stir by glowing with an intense white light. With a nudge from Velia's wand, the incandescent ink wrenched itself from the scroll and floated up into the library's dark atmosphere.

The Leo constellation spun slowly all around her. Velia sank to her knees and stared up at it in wonder, her face illuminated by its radiant emission. She could pick out the loose shape of a lion drawn between the stars. At the lion's heart, Regulus shone with hypnotizing brilliance.

For the first time in a day that had been filled with dark words and doom, as she sat in the glow of the magical projection, Velia finally felt a sense of peace.

.

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**A/N:_ I always get a bit sad writing Alice knowing what happens to her in a future, poor poppet. She's definitely got a bit of doom coming her way. At least she can have a bit of fun as a teenager. Anyway, thanks for reading xx_**


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